After an intensive programme of assessment and change working with T&G Fresh, Ekos and others, All Good now offers bananas (imported from Ecuador) that are certified Carbon Zero - as well as Fairtrade.
Chris and Matt Morrison and Simon Coley, launched All Good by importing New Zealand’s first Fairtrade and organic bananas back in 2010. Their challenge was convincing people that paying a dollar more for an ethical bunch of bananas was a better deal for them, the people who grew them and the planet. Eight years later, thanks to the millions of All Good Bananas purchased by Kiwi families, over 150 small banana farming families in El Guabo, Ecuador are being paid fairly and All Good have been able to contribute more than $2.2 million back to the El Guabo Association of Small Banana Farmers benefiting their community’s health and wellbeing, education, the sustainability of the land they farm and the surrounding rainforest.
“The El Guabo Farmers co-operative in Ecuador, where All Good’s bananas come from, is one of the oldest Fairtrade co-operatives in the world. To support reducing their carbon emissions, on-the-ground actions include incorporating solar power, recycling all on-farm plastic and using organic fertilisers,” explains Simon Coley.
T&G Fresh have been the key partner for All Good in bringing this project to life - their extensive distribution powers, and support of All Good in the form of an exclusive sales and distribution partnership mean that they are instrumental in All Good’s success.
Ekos is one of New Zealand’s leading Net Zero Carbon certification bodies, and they have worked alongside CE Delft, an independent European environmental research organisation, to assess the carbon footprint of All Good’s bananas from farm to consumption. Other friends of All Good who have supported this project include Fairtrade, Foodstuffs NZ and independent retailers Farro, Commonsense, Huckleberry and Moore Wilson’s.
“It was important to us that our product is accessible, which is why we are not passing on the increased costs for carbon offsetting to our customers or end consumers. All Good Bananas still remain the same price.
“Today’s consumer is hyper aware and well educated when it comes to ethical shopping - we know that our customers are thirsty for knowledge and proud of the power they hold, to make choices that make a difference.”
All Good have engaged in a nationwide communications campaign that includes mainstream media coverage, a targeted social media campaign, out-of-home advertising and in-store promotions and samplings to inform consumers about the brand.
“All Good is purchasing carbon credits from Climate Partners managing permanent rainforest protection in Madre De Dios, Peru. This is one of the world’s most biodiverse habitats, with numerous threatened plant and animal species, and indigenous tribes. This rainforest is being threatened by large road construction projects between Brazil and Peru and illegal gold mining. This pristine forest is to the south of where our bananas are farmed in Ecuador.”
You can learn more about the Rainforest Protection Project in Madre De Dios, Peru here: